The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Stephen's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About Stephen
Research interests:
- Stable isotope mass spectrometry
- Reconstructing terrestrial and marine palaeoenvironments during the Cenozoic
- Understanding past hyperthermal events and their related ocean acidification events
- Micrometeorites
Qualifications:
Sept. 1994 – Jan. 1998: Obtained a PhD from Cardiff University on the 14/7/1998. The thesis title was "Studies of geothermal systems, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand". The work was supervised by Prof. Rickard and showed for the first time how U-series dating of calcite could be used to constrain the age of geothermal alteration (Grimes et al. 1998). Additional work using strontium isotopes as a tool to understand alteration styles within geothermal fields (Grimes et al. 2000) and a study of unique sulphur mounds at the Wiotapu geothermal system explained their process of formation (Grimes et al. 1999).
Jan. 1998 – Jan. 2000: NERC Post Doctorate Research Associate at Cardiff University. The title of the research was "Unlocking the early evolution of land plants and their biogeochemical impact through pyritisation of their remains", grant number GR3/11196. The research was concerned with pyrite formation pathways and the understanding of the process involved in the pyritisation of organic matter. This work involved collaboration between Prof. David Rickard (Cardiff University), Prof. Dianne Edwards (Cardiff University), Prof. John Parkes (Bristol University) and Prof. Derek Briggs (Bristol University). In its initial stage I designed and constructed a novel anoxic chemostatic reaction system for the investigation of pyrite formation pathways and pyritisation of organic matter under strictly controlled environmental and chemical conditions. Using this and other experimental systems I explain the environment and mechanism involved in the pyritisation of plant axes in the London Clay (Grimes et al. 2001a; Grimes et al. 2002a; Grimes et al. 2007). Conference presentations were made at the 9th (1999, Houston) and 10th (2000, Oxford) Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conferences.
April 2000 – July 2003: NERC Post Doctorate Research Associate at Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL). The title of the research was "Greenhouse-icehouse transitions: testing the use of oxygen isotopes in associated mammal tooth phosphate and freshwater carbonates as an Eocene-Oligocene climate proxy", grant number GRE/12864. The work required me to design a new method for determining the d18OPO4 ratio in rodent tooth enamel so as to constrain the d18O of palaeo-freshwater (Lindars et al. 2001). I have also shown how the mean d18O of palaeo-freshwater can be combined with d18O values from other freshwater proxies (gastropod shells, fish otoliths, fish scales & charophyte gyrogonites) to calculate multiple terrestrial palaeotemperatures which, due to different mineralization times throughout the year, have differing climatic significance (Grimes et al. 2003). This work has culminated in the publication of the first multiple terrestrial palaeotemperature curve (Mean Growing Season Temperature, and Mean Warmest Growing Season Temperature) across the Eocene – Oligocene transition (Grimes et al. 2005). In addition, a paper outlining the application of this multi-palaeoproxy approach to the study of terrestrial climate change in the Quaternary has been published (Grimes et al. 2004b) and a related paper using carbon isotope results to infer the palaeodiet of rodents has also been published (Grimes et al. 2004a). My research techniques have also been used by the BBC program “Meet the Ancestors; Napoleon’s lost Army: The soldiers who fell” (screened on 3/2/2003) as a forensic tool to determine the birthplace of Napoleonic soldiers.
2012
1. Awarded £396,429.NERC standard grant, with a 3 year PDRA. Project entitled 'Carbonate clumped-isotopic constraints on marine temperatures during the Cretaceous'. Start date 1st December 2012. PI: Greg Price, Co-I Stephen Grimes.
2. Awarded £68,628. Funded jointly by Plymouth University and the British Geological Survey University Funding Initiative (BUFI). PhD studentship entitled 'Palaeohydrology of a rapid climate change event at the Palaeocene-Eocene boundary'. Supervision team: S.T. Grimes, M. Ellis (BGS, Keyworth) R. Duller (Liverpool), S. Kender, (BGS, Keyworth), M. Stokes, M. Watkinson.
2011
1. Awarded £1,440. Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Research Bursary scheme. Funding to employ Mr Philip Martin, a stage 2 Geology undergraduate student, to undertake a project entitled 'A micropaleontological and stable isotope investigation of Late Paleocene to Early Eocene sediments from Ermua, Northern Spain'
2. Awarded £4,740. Marine Institute small collaborative research grant scheme, in conjunction with Prof. Roland Gehrels. Funding to undertake a project entitled 'Constraining the magnitude and timing of the rapid sea-level jumps associated with the 8.2ka climate event'
1. Awarded £40,304. NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility. Funding for compound specific carbon and hydrogen isotope analyses as part of a PhD studentship entitled "A high resolution compound specific carbon isotope study of the PETM in Northern Spain".
1. Awarded £14,030. NERC Isotope Geosciences Facilities Steering Committe. Funding for carbon isotope analyses associated with a PhD studentship entitled "A high resolution compound specific carbon isotope study of the PETM in Northern Spain".
2. Awarded ~£42,000. Graduate School, University of Plymouth. PhD studentship entitled "A high resolution compound specific carbon isotope study of the PETM in Northern Spain". Supervision team: S.T. Grimes, P. Sutton, R.J. Twitchett & M. Hart.
3. Recognised researcher on a €170,000 Spanish (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación) funded grant. Grant entitled ‘Estudio de episodios criticos del registro geologico mediante multi-indicadores de procesos geobiologicos’. Lead investigator, Prof. Nieves Lopez Martinez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
1. Awarded £12,750. NERC Isotope Geoscience Facility. Funding for carbonate and water stable isotope analyses associated with a PhD studentship entitled "Is seasonal climate variability a key factor in biotic extinctions? ".
2. Awarded £19,840. NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility. Funding for carbon and hydrogen isotope analyses on a project entiled "Quantifying the nature of the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum in southern Europe".
1. Awarded £5,863.University of Plymouth Research and Innovation Fellowship Award Scheme. Funding to undertake a project entitled 'Compound specific carbon isotope analysis of terrestrial organic matter: The next generation tool for the study of climate change'.
1. Awarded ~£42,000.Graduate School, University of Plymouth. PhD studentship entitled "Is seasonal climate variability a key factor in biotic extinctions? ". Supervision team: S.T. Grimes, G.D. Price & C. Smart.
2. Awarded £2,200. NERC Isotope Geoscience Facility. Carbon isotope analyses associated with "Quantifying the extent to which the initial Eocene thermal maximum affected the continental climate of Europe".
2005
1. Awarded £7,150. British Academy. 18 month small grant to undertake research entitled 'Nomadic or sedentary? Using oxygen and carbon isotopes in tooth enamel to ascertain the life style of a past population in Central Asia'.
2. Awarded ~£42,000 Faculty of Science, University of Plymouth. PhD studentship entitled ‘Global climate change during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event’. Supervision team: R.J. Twitchett, S.T. Grimes, G.D. Price & M.J. Benton (University of Bristol).
2004
1. Awarded £47,312. NERC. 2 year New Investigators Grant. Project title "Quantifying the extent to which the initial Eocene thermal maximum affected the continental climate of Europe"
Travel Grants
1999
1. Awarded £1,120. Royal Society. For attendance at The 9th Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference. August 22nd – 27th, 1999. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Teaching Grants
2008
1. Awarded £2,955. Experiential Learning in Environmental and Natural Sciences CETL at the University of Plymouth. Purpose is to develop material for the practical teaching of palaeoclimatology.
Supervised Research Degrees
Current PhD Students
None
Past PhD Students
2025. Dr Charlotte Green. PhD studentship entitled The role of volcanism in the genesis of Early Cenozoic global warming events. Funded by ARIES with Alex Dickson (RHUL) as director of studies and Dr S. T. Grimes as a Co-I.
2019. Dr Camille Dusséaux. PhD studentship entitled Stable Isotope paleoaltimetry reconstruction of the Variscan belt of Western Europe'. Funded by the University of Plymouth. Supervision team: Dr A. Gebelin and Dr S.T. Grimes
2016. Dr Mohammed Chaanda. PhD studentship entitled "Cenozoic terrestrial palaeoenvironmental change: An investigation of the Bovey and Petrockstowe basins, South West United Kingdom" Start date January 2011. Funded by the Nigerian Government. Supervision team: Dr S.T. Grimes, Dr G.D. Price and Dr M. Anderson.
2015. Dr Amadu Tukur. Visiting PhD student from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Nigeria (Jan 2012- July 2012)
2014. Dr Hayley Manners. PhD studentship entitled "A high resolution compound specific carbon isotope study of the PETM in Northern Spain" Start date October 2009. Funded by the University of Plymouth. Supervision team: Dr S.T. Grimes, Dr P. Sutton, Prof. R.J. Twitchett & Prof. M. Hart.
2011. Dr Muhammad Hanif. PhD studentship entitled "Micropalaeontology and stratigraphy of the Palaeocene / Eocene thermal maximum of Pakistan" Started October 2007. Funded by NCEG University of Peshawar Pakistan. Supervision team: Prof. M. Hart, Dr C. Smart & Dr S.T. Grimes.
2011. DrMelanie Bugler. PhD studentship entitled "An investigation into use of the freshwater gastropod Viviparusas a recorder of past climatic change". Started October 2006, completed March 2011. Funded by Graduate School, University of Plymouth. Supervision team: Dr G.D. Price, Dr S.T. Grimes & Dr C. Smart.
2009. Dr Timothy Kearsey. PhD studentship entitled ‘ Multi-proxy palaeoclimate reconstruction of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction event' . Started 1st October 2005, completed 26th March 2009. Funded by the Faculty of Science, University of Plymouth. Supervision team: Dr R.J. Twitchett, Dr S.T. Grimes, Dr G.D. Price & Prof. M.J. Benton (University of Bristol).
2008. Dr Laura Domingo Martínez. Visiting PhD student from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (August 2006 - October 2006 and September 2007 - November 2007). Supervisor, Prof. Nieves López-Martínez.
MGeol, MSc and MRes Student
Ms Lucy Full. MGeol 2013/14.A multi-proxy geochemical investigation into the palaeosols at Esplugafreda, northern Spain; Palaeoclimatic changes through the PETM.
Ms Charis Vale. MGeol 2013/14. A facies and stable isotope investigation of the London Clay Formation, Whitecliff Bay, Isle of Wight.
Ms Lucy Joy. MGeol 2012/13. A facies and stable isotope investigation of the London Clay Formation, Whitecliff Bay, Isle of Wight.
Ms Cara Parker. MSc 20010/11. Reconstruction of atmospheric carbon dioxide δ13C ratios across the Eocene / Oligocene transition.
Ms Leah-Marie Foster. MGeol 20010/11. A micro-palaeontological and geochemical investigation of the transition through the Reading - Harwich - London Clay formations, UK.
Ms Emma Hodgson. MGeol 2009/2010. Geochemical and palynological evidence for the Paleocene / Eocene Thermal Maximum from the Hampshire Basin, UK. Dr S.T. Grimes & Prof. M. Hart.
Ms Tracey Aze. MRes 2006/2007. MRes thesis entitled "A study of ocean acidification and its effect upon past and future foraminiferal communities". Supervision team: Dr S.T. Grimes, Prof. M. Hart & Dr. C. Smart.
Mr Gavin McIntosh. MRes 2005/2006. MRes thesis entitled "Unravelling seasonal Pliocene climates in the Mediterranean ~3.0Ma through the use of sclerochronology of Crassostrea longirostrisfrom the Vera Basin S.E. Spain". Supervision team: Dr S.T. Grimes & Dr M. Stokes.
Mr Matthew Sharples. MSc 2004/2005. MSc thesis entitled "Testing the isotope signal from fossil Crassostrea longirostrisoysters as a palaeoclimate reconstruction tool". Supervision team: Dr S.T. Grimes & Dr M. Stokes.
Nuffield Foundation Students
Mr Gregory Welsh. 2025 Nuffield Foundation Research Placement for Schools & Colleges scheme. Research entiled 'In search of urban micrometeorites.'
Miss Molly Harrison. 2014 Nuffield Foundation Research Placement for Schools & Colleges scheme. Research entitled 'Understanding past climate change events'
Mr Philip Martin. 2011. Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science bursary scheme. Research entitled 'A micropalaeontological and geochemical investigation of the late Paleocene / early Eocene sediments from Ermua (Northern Spain)'
Mr Robin Hayward. 2011. Nuffield Foundation Science Bursaries for Schools & Colleges scheme. Research entitled 'A micropalaeontological investigation of a past greenhouse climate event'
Part-Time Voluntary Research Assistants
Ms Melanie Bizet. Summer 2014
Ms Jo Torres. Summer 2013
Mr Phil Martin. Summer 2013.
Ms Emma Hodgson. Summer 2011
Teaching
- School Senior Tutor from 2023 - present
- Associate Head of School - Education and Student Experience from 2017 - 2023
- Earth Sciences Programme Manager from 2012 - 2016
- On the 1st November 2004 I was awarded a post-graduate certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LTHE).
Contact Stephen
B520 Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
+44 1752 584759
stephen.grimes@plymouth.ac.uk
